Books by William Kinderman

"Ludwig van Beethoven entered university the year that the French Revolution broke out. He went on to live through the Reign of Terror, the rise and fall of Napoleon, the battles of Wagram and Leipzig, and the era of political repression following the Congress of Vienna. Interpretations of Beethoven's music have tended to emphasize the composer's personal suffering and inner struggles over the political resonance of his work. Yet, as William Kinderman's brilliantly written study shows, Beethoven's life and art were shaped in far-reaching ways by the turbulence of his era. Starting with the composer's formative years in Bonn, Kinderman reevaluates the political implications of Beethoven's art, revealing how musical tensions in his major works symbolically played out the real-world struggles of his time. Written for the 250th anniversary of his birth, the book also takes stock of Beethoven's legacy, assessing his growing worldwide appeal amid the political challenges that confront us today. Kinderman movingly considers how the Fifth Symphony helped galvanize resistance to fascism, how the Sixth has energized the environmental movement, and how Beethoven's civic engagement will continue to inspire in politically perilous times"--

Studies of the genesis of musical, literary, and theatrical works.Not only the final outcome but the process of creative endeavor has long attracted attention in various artistic disciplines, but only recently has the potential of such research been seriously explored. The most rigorous basis for the study of artistic creativity comes not from anecdotal or autobiographical reports, but from original handwritten sketches and drafts and preliminary studies, as well as from revised manuscripts and typescripts, corrected proof sheets, and similar primary sources. The term "e;genetic criticism"e; or "e;critique genetique"e; relates not to the field of genetics, but to the genesis of works of art, as studied in a broad and inclusive context. The essays inthis volume explore aspects of genetic criticism in an interdisciplinary context, emphasizing music, literature, and theater. A common thread pertains to the essential continuity between a work and its genesis. This volume bringstogether essays from leading scholars on subjects ranging from biblical scholarship to Samuel Beckett, and from Beethoven's Eroica Symphony to very recent musical compositions. Contributors: Nicolas Donin, Daniel Ferrer, Alan Gosman, R. B. Graves, Joseph E. Jones, William Kinderman, Jean-Louis Lebrave, Lewis Lockwood, Geert Lernout, Peter McCallum, Armine Kotin Mortimer, and James L. Zychowicz William Kinderman is Professor of Musicology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Joseph E. Jones is visiting Assistant Professor of Musicology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Tracing the genesis of great musical works